This handout is for hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc, bclc-staged). Your care team identified this based on: suspicious liver lesion on surveillance us (aasld 2023 singal).
Other reasons your team may use this plan: elevated afp >20 ng/ml in cirrhotic patient (aasld 2023 singal); liver mass on ct/mri (incidental or surveillance recall); known hcc on problem list (follow-up, staging, treatment response).
Take these medications exactly as prescribed. Do not stop or change a dose without talking to your provider.
| Medication | Starting dose | How | When | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| surgical resection | — | — | — | AASLD 2023 Singal — resection preferred for single HCC in non-cirrhotic or compensated cirrhosis without portal HTN |
| radiofrequency ablation (RFA) | — | — | — | AASLD 2023 Singal — RFA for lesions <=3 cm with equivalent survival to resection in select patients |
| microwave ablation (MWA) | — | — | — | AASLD 2023 Singal — MWA alternative to RFA; faster ablation, fewer heat-sink effects |
| liver transplantation | — | — | — | AASLD 2023 Singal — transplant cures both HCC and underlying cirrhosis; Milan criteria (single <=5cm or <=3 each <=3cm, no vascular invasion, no extrahepatic disease) |
Plan: BCLC-staged HCC treatment — AASLD 2023 Singal + NCCN 2024
Contact your care team if any of the following happen:
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away if you have:
Multidisciplinary tumor board review; transplant center coordination; palliative care integration for BCLC-D; survivorship if complete response; ongoing cirrhosis management (AASLD 2023 Singal)
Guideline: AASLD Practice Guidance on Diagnosis, Staging and Management of HCC (Marrero, Hepatology 2018) + landmark systemic-therapy RCTs (SHARP, IMbrave150, HIMALAYA)